Fiction Book Recommendations for Summer

Long summer days are made for getting stuck into a good book. Those sunny days need to be taken advantage of and so a good story keeps me company when I sit outside all day long, soaking up those rays. A fiction book also provides a captivating plot that can keep my focus away from neighbours' noise as I read in the garden or from the busyness of a beach.

Our summer curation is packed with exciting fiction and non-fiction books, and in this blog post I've rounded up our fiction books to help you find your next read if you're looking for some captivating fiction this summer.

Women Dreaming

In translation | Independent publishing

This novel is a beautiful portrait of its protagonists; three Muslim women in a village in Tamil Nadu, southern India, who are held together by shared love, courage and faith. From one of my favourite and most-trusted indie publishers Tilted Axis Press.

Open Water

Race | Gender

A contemporary love story about a young Black British couple, trying to make it in London as artists, who seem perfect for each other but are torn apart by fear and violence. This beautiful short novel considers what it means to be seen only as a Black body and how to be vulnerable when only strength is expected of you.

Paradise Block

Short stories

Unsettling and original are my key criteria for short story collections and Paradise Block promises to deliver. Paradise Block is the residence of strange neighbours and absurd situations that aren't what they first seem.

Permafrost

In translation | LGBTQIA+

I was immediately sold on the first sentence of this novel's description: 'Permafrost's no-bullsh*t lesbian narrator is an uninhibited lover and a wickedly funny observer of modern life'. The narrator travels Europe trying to break free of societal roles and searches for pleasure, love & freedom instead.

God 99

In translation | Independent publishing

God 99 follows an Iraq-born aspiring writer who interviews a range of fascinating refugees as part of a blog that blurs generic boundaries. Alluding to the Islamic tradition that says God has 99 names, the novel takes a kaleidoscopic look at the multiplicity of migrant experience.

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed

Short Stories | In translation

Another collection of unsettling short stories had to be included in the curation. This collection takes us to Buenos Aires where murderous and morbid desires stir. Filled with themes of revenge, witchcraft, fetishes and disappearances, this collection sounds so juicy.

Snapping Point

In translation | Independent publishing

This is a multi-layered, political novel which explores love and loss, wherein an earthquake separates a landmass from the mainland, setting it afloat in the Aegean. This premise creates an exciting plot with political tensions, an uprising and secret underground systems. I'm already hooked.

Lote

Independent publishing

Lote is a novel with mystery vibes: its protagonist Mathilda becomes transfixed on Black modernist poet Hermia Druitt and resolves to learn everything about Druitt, leading her on a journey to uncover secrets of champagne theft and Black Modernism to art sabotage and more.

Breasts and Eggs

In translation

A novel with three related female protagonists grappling with their changing bodies as they respectively go through puberty & breast enhancement surgery. It's a portrait of contemporary working-class womanhood in Japan, representing heartbreak, anxiety & female relationships.

Cockfight

In translation | Independent publishing

From Ecuadorian author Maria Fernanda Ampuero, Cockfight is a novel about the grotesque aspects of home, family, religion and class struggle, told through multiple characters such as spiteful siblings, a family's maid who witnesses abuse and a girl who is auctioned off by a gang of criminals.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Fiction

You've probably heard great things about this novel but if, like me, you've not yet read it, here's another opportunity. The protagonist uncovers his family history in Vietnam & the lasting impacts of war. It's written as a letter from a son to a mother who can't read and is said to be very beautiful.

Which of these fiction books peak your interest? Click the buy now buttons below to read more about these titles or to buy books online.

Need some more help choosing? Reach out at destinationbooksuk@gmail.com and we can chat about your specific interest and I can provide a personal recommendation.